Open House at East Tennessee History Center
Tuesday, 17 August, 2:00pm-8:00pm
Presented by the East Tennessee Historical Society and the McClung Historical Collection
FGS Conference attendees are invited to a free Open House at the East Tennessee History Center, featuring extended
research hours, free museum admission, a panel of Tennessee/Kentucky research experts, Shaped Note Singing demonstrations, and light refreshments.
The East Tennessee History Center is one of the premier research centers in the Southeast.
Located here are the McClung Historical Collection, focusing on Tennessee research but with heavy resources for research
across the country, especially in the Southeast, as well as states of heavy migration to and from Tennessee.
The Museum of East Tennessee History's signature exhibition "Voices of the Land:
The People of East Tennessee" is a people's history covering three centuries of life in the region.
A special exhibit in honor of the FGS conference will focus on the state's pioneer
settlers and migration. Visitors will enjoy the doleful, yet joyous, sounds of Shaped Note Singing that hearkens
back to the time of our ancestors when pianos and organs were not common, and congregations learned the tunes by
reading shaped notes, where the printed shapes correspond to a different note on the scale.
Return to top
Come and Sit a Spell: Ballads, Mountain Stories, and Country Fare
Wednesday, 18 August, 6:00pm
Tennessee Ampitheater World Fair's Park
Presented by the East Tennessee Historical Society and the Kentucky Historical Society
Enjoy a country-style dinner and the music and stories of Sheila Kaye Adams, a seventh generation ballad singer who learned the songs
from her granny while growing up in the mountain community of Sodom, North Carolina.
Sheila mixes the songs and sounds of British Isles ballads passed from generation to
generation with a sprinkling of folk songs and stories of mountain life and people. An award-winning author of several
books and recordings, she has performed across the nation and the British Isles, including appearances at the National Book and
Smithsonian Folklife Festivals.
"Her stories may be localized or carry you back to the thirteenth century, but their lessons, poignancy,
and humor have no boundary, real or artificial." -The Washington Post
The Tennessee Amphitheater is only a block from the conference center. The price is $20 and will
cover the meal and performance. Menu: fried chicken, meat loaf, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, greens, and fruit cobbler. A vegetarian option is available.
Return to top
